Love find a way
by keelykelly
Summary: Grand VisorJameston thinks that Louis needs to get married to a princess, but Louis disagrees... and so does the princess.
1. Must Marry Nobility

Corinne and her three friends were cleaning the great hall when a knock came to the door.

"I'll get it." She said as she grabbed the doorknob "Oh. Hello Grand visor."

The man huffed "Please, Monsieur Jameston is fine."

Corinne curtsied "Of course. Here to see the King?"

"Of course."

"He's in his office."

The girls watched as the short, fat man walked down the hall.

"He has to be the grumpiest person in the castle." Viveca whispered.

Two minutes later, Monsieur Jameston reappeared "He's not there."

Corinne looked at her friends confused "Well, where is he?"

Just then Madame Helene, the head maid, walked into the room "He slipped out to test a new improvement on his flying machine."

They all turned to a window to see a bright balloon start rising into the air.

"I need him immediately!" Monsieur Jameston declared.

"I'll get him!" Corinne dropped her broom and started running up the stairs.

"Where on earth is she going?" Jameston asked.

"To get the King." Renee answered "Don't worry. She does this all the time." The three friends look at each other and laughed.

**Corinne ran all **the way up to the Terrace and out onto the bridge. The Balloon's basket was just starting to pass. Corinne ran, jumped up onto the railing and leapt into the basket.

Louis spun around, and then smiled when he saw her. Wisps of her blond hair had slipped loose from her bun and the breeze was blowing them gently across her face.

"Hello Corinne." He said after a moment.

"Monsieur Jameston is here to see you." Corinne said "Now."

Louis sighed "I was hoping he'd spoil a different day." He then turned to mess with some ropes, and the balloon started to descend.

Corinne watched as the ground came closer "Did you ever figure out how to land this thing?"

Louis shrugged "I guess we'll see."

As usual, the balloon capsized, sending its two occupants flying to the ground.

Louis helped Corinne up and together they walked to the castle.

Monsieur Jameston looked at them with disapproval "Your Highness," he said, lifting his chin "I have important news."

"Then by all means, tell me." Louis said, somewhat annoyed.

Corinne's attention was drawn to her friends who were standing behind Jameston. They were waving wildly and motioning to something between her and Louis. She glanced down to see what they were motioning to and gasped. There was the explanation for Jameston's disapproving look.

She quickly pulled her hand out of Louis' ignoring her friend's suppressed giggles.

"May we go to the office, please?" Jameston requested.

Louis nodded "Of course." Then the two men left the room.

"Very smooth." Renee smirked.

Corinne rolled her eyes "Quit it."

"I wonder what news he has for the king." Aramina said.

Viveca shrugged "You know. It is our job to protect him. Eyes and ears open. Remember?"

The four girls ran down the hall and pressed their ears up against the door.

"Your Highness, I have received a letter from the Queen of Trylvania." Jameston said.

"What about it?" Louis asked cautiously.

"Their daughter is in need of a husband. And you need a wife." Jameston answered.

"What!?" Louis stared at the man like he had gone mad "Are you crazy?!"

"No. she's coming to visit in two months." Jameston said "You do not have a choice, Your Highness. You are a king. You must marry a person of high nobility."

Corinne felt her heart drop like someone had just hit it towards the floor with a baseball bat. Nobility. Of course the king would marry someone of high ranking. A former country girl wasn't going to cut it. She sighed as she pushed a strand of blond hair from her face. She looked up at her friends to see them staring at her sympathetically.

She shrugged, and then motioned for them to leave the door.

As they walked back to resume their chores, Aramina sighed sadly "I hate tragic romances."

Corinne glanced back at her "What do you mean?" she instantly regretted asking, as Aramina went into her normal over dramatic explanation.

"Just think, two people in love," Aramina swooned "Then, they're torn apart because of their differences. One thing they could overlook themselves, but everyone else couldn't see through them! And even though their hearts are bound by…"

"Aramina!" Corinne interrupted "Lou… The king and I are not an object. We're just friends."

Viveca looked at the others and shrugged. There was no need to push the subject, especially after what they had just overheard in the office.

Jameston left fifteen minutes later with a self-satisfied look on his face. Right before he stepped out the door, he shot Corinne a warning look, and then disappeared.

Corinne leaned on her broom stick and stared at the door "Don't worry, Monsieur Jameston." She mumbled "I'm not getting in your way."


	2. Joana

The next morning, the girls headed out to town. VIveca had some 'serious shopping' to get done. So, the others tagged along. Naturally. Aramina went in with Viveca to help her choose some sparkle for her dresses.

Renee and Corinne had decided to stay outside, more than willing to miss out on the shopping spree.

"I bet Viveca could do a week of nonstop shopping." Renee grumbled.

Corinne laughed "I'll bet she could too. Easily."

"Hey!" a young boy called to them "Musketeers! We have some trouble over here!"

Renee and Corinne immediately followed the boy down the road.

"See." He pointed to where a girl, that seemed to be right around their age, was sitting on the ground with a group of teenage boys laughing at her.

"Ooh!" One boy laughed "She got her hands dirty!"

"What's going on here!?" Corinne shouted.

The boys jumped and spun around.

"It's the musketeers!" one boy whispered.

"Hey, Jack." Renee said, pointing to one boy "I think you've had enough fun for one day. Take your friends and get out."

Jack crossed his arms "Make me."

All Corinne had to do was move her hand like she was reaching for her sword and all the boys ran, tripping over each other in the process.

Renee laughed "Don't you love to see them run?"

Corinne nodded "It never gets old." Then she walked to the girl that was now on her knees "How'd you get caught by those?" she asked, extending a hand to the girl.

She accepted it "I guess you could say, I tripped and fell in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"You're not from around here, are you?" Renee asked, listening to the girl's accent.

She shook her head "I just came in."

"What's your name?"

"Joana." The girl mentally smoothed down her skirt. Her had straight black hair, blue eyes and was wearing a simple white shirt and brown skirt, which were now quite dirty.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Corinne asked. When Joana shook her head, Corinne smiled "Well, if you don't mind a little manual labor, you can stay with us."

"Really?" Joana sighed with relief "Thank you so much!" then she looked the girls over "Are y'all really musketeers?"

Corinne nodded "We are. We have two other friends that are too. We are the first and only female musketeers ever!"

Joana laughed "So, y'all must know the king."

"We do." Renee answered as they started walking back towards town "One of us is on first name basis with him."

Corinne rolled her eyes "Come on, Joana. We'll go pull Viveca from the store."

And that's literally what they had to do. Renee had lost to rock-paper-scissors, thus being nominated to drag the fashionista out. Aramina followed willingly. When Renee finally managed to get the brunette out the door, she was panting for breath.

"Never, ever try to pull her away from a sale!" Renee huffed.

"Aramina, Viveca," Corinne said "This is Joana. Joana, this is Aramina and Viveca." Then she laughed "Oh, yeah. I'm Corinne, and that's Renee."

"Hi. It's so nice to meet you." Joana smiled, looking at all four girls in turn.

Aramina was red headed with green eyes and a green dress. Viveca had brown hair, brown eyes and wore purple. Renee was dark with black hair, dark brown eyes, and she wore blue. And Corinne was blond with blue eyes and she was wearing pink.

"She's going to be staying with us." Corinne said, and then she turned to Joana "How long are you in town for?"

Joana shrugged "Not sure. A couple months I guess."

Viveca sized up the girl in front of her "You will definitely need a new outfit."

"Oh, I don't want to cause in extra trouble." Joana said quickly.

Corinne laughed "Trust me, Joana. It'll make Vivi's day."

As the five girls started walking up the road, Joana looked over at Corinne "When you said 'manual labor', what did you mean?"

"It's not that bad." Corinne smiled "Besides being musketeers, we're also the castle maids."

Joana's eyes grew wide "You work _in _the castle? Do you get to see the King?"

"Oh, if you stick close to Corinne, You'll see the king." Renee snickered.

Joana looked at Corinne questioningly, but Corinne simply did the crazy sign.

They took their new friend to their apartment. Corinne pulled a cot out of the closet and set it up at a blank spot by the wall.

"You can have my bed." She said, and then raised her hand before the girl could object "I grew up sleeping on a cot. Trust me, I won't lose any sleep."

Joana sighed "Thank you." Then she sat down on the pink covered bed, for the first time realizing how tired she was.

"Go ahead and rest." Aramina said "You can start work tomorrow. This is off day anyways."

"Thank you." Joana lay down and immediately fell asleep.

Renee looked over at her "She fell asleep almost as fast as you did your first night here."

Corinne chuckled slightly "I wonder where she came from."

"We'll ask her when she wakes up." Aramina said. Then the four girls went on doing their own thing, allowing the new girl to sleep.

**Louis was standing **out on the balcony that branched off from his bedroom. He groaned as he thought about what Jameston had said. He knew it was true. He was expected to marry a royal of some sort.

If someone had told him three years ago he had to get married, he would have just shrugged and said okay. It was his duty and so forth and so on. But that had changed the day a blond haired, blue eyes girl jumped onto his runaway balloon and saved his life. She had changed the way he saw everything. She wanted and believed in the impossible, and she accomplished it. She had so much more than all those pampered princesses.

She'd been raised on a farm, work was her life. She had personality, spirit, and a bit of an attitude. She had big dreams, and an even bigger heart, while those princesses didn't even know what work was. Their personalities were controlled by their parents and the people around them. Plus, to top them most off, they were haughty and arrogant.

He sighed as he watched the four musketeers and a girl he didn't know walk towards the castle to do their daily chores.

"If only things weren't so complicated."


	3. watch sparks fly

**The girls introduced **Joana, who was now wearing a green dress that had been designed by Viveca, to Helene, who smiled warmly "Welcome. I suppose you're here to help with the chores?"'

"Yes Ma'am."

"Good." Helene nodded "Well, girls. You know what to do." Then she walked away.

Joana looked around curiously as they walked down through the halls.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Corinne said.

Joana nodded "I'm used to big, bright, and beautiful, but this is really nice."

Corinne chuckled "The first time I came here, I was fresh from the country. I grew up on a farm in Gascony. I'd never seen anything like this before."

When they reached the supply closet, the four girls pulled out the supplies and everything else they'd need.

"Warning." Renee said to Joana "If you hear someone shout for the musketeers, we will have to run."

Joana nodded. Just the thought of these four girls being fierce fighters was somewhat amusing. She wasn't quite sure she believed it.

Corinne noticed the look on her face and laughed "Hard to believe?"

Joana nodded and Renee patted her shoulder "It's okay. Some people that live in Paris and were there when we were nominated Musketeers, still don't believe it."

Viveca smiled "We're fierce, but beautiful."

"Ooh!" Aramina squealed "Maybe we're tooth fairies!"

The other four girls stared at her blankly, and then continued on their way.

Corinne handed Joana a duster, which she stared at like a cow staring at a new fence.

"What's the matter Joana?"

The girl blushed "Um… I have no idea how to do any sort of housework."

Corinne raised an eyebrow "How did you manage that?"

"Well…" Joana's face turned an even deeper red "I guess you could say I was the companion to a rich girl my whole life. Chores wasn't on my to do list."

"Oh, that's okay." Aramina said happily "We'll teach you!"

After a while, Joana was starting to pick up on the chore thing, and turned out to be quite talkative, which thrilled Aramina beyond measure. They could go on nonstop about the same book for an hour. Viveca just ignored it, Corinne didn't mind, but it about drove Renee up the wall.

"I absolutely LOVE romances!" Aramina said.

"She does." The other three girls chimed in.

Joana nodded "I do to. But my parents don't like me reading them. They say it fills a girl's head with nonsense."

"That's true." Renee grumbled.

Corinne laughed "You're not used to it yet?"

Renee just shot her a look before continuing to wash the window.

"One of the most wonderful things to see is a couple in love." Aramina said dreamily.

Joana sighed "I'm afraid I've never seen it. My parents had an arranged marriage. They hardly tolerate each other."

"That's terrible!" Aramina gasped.

Joana nodded "They want the same for me."

Corinne smiled "My parents were in love. It was so hard when he'd be gone for weeks at a time. And then when he died…" her voice trailed off as the memories of her beloved father came to her.

Joana looked at her sadly "What happened to him?"

"He was a musketeer." Corinne answered "He died in battle when I was twelve. It was the hardest thing my family has ever gone through."

"I love tragic romances." Aramina sighed.

"You hated them two days ago!" Renee cried, throwing her hands in the air.

"Depends on the situation." Aramina answered, the she turned to Joana "Do you have a sweetheart?"

Joana shrugged "My best friend is a boy. But he's just the stable hand."

Aramina looked over at Corinne and giggled "What's his name?"

"Conrad."

"Oh my that's perfect!"

Viveca slid over to Joana and whispered "Have you ever read in books about there being a spark between two people?" Joana nodded "You're about to experience it in real life."

Joana saw a youngish brown haired guy walking towards them, a semi-smile on his face.

"Who's that?" she whispered to Viveca.

"King Louis." Viveca answered "Now watch Corinne."

Joana watched as Louis made a B-line for Corinne, who was dusting off a huge picture, unaware of the approaching man.

"Hey, Corinne." Louis said stepping behind her.

Corinne spun around, not realizing he was six inches behind her. Then she jumped back, hitting the picture she was dusting, causing it to start falling. She spun around and slammed it back up against the wall, stopping its downward descent. Then she slowly removed her hands from the painting and turned to face Louis, her hands on her hips.

"Thank you Your Highness that was most helpful."

Louis chuckled "Sorry."

Corinne smiled, letting her arms drop "What did you need?"

"I made some improvements to the balloon." Louis said "I was wondering if you'd like to join me to test them."

"Does one of them help with the landing?"

"Nope."

Corinne shrugged "Can't blame a girl for tryin'. I'd love too."

"Good. After lunch then." Louis turned to walk away, and then looked up at the massive picture that was behind Corinne.

"What?" Corinne looked up at the picture, but saw nothing wrong.

"Nothing." Louis answered, his face completely amused "It took four men to get that thing up there. It took one girl to keep it from falling." He shook his head smiling, then gently squeezed her hand before walking away.

Corinne smiled slightly, then turned back to resume her chores, but saw her three best friends with smirks on their faces, but Joana's seemed troubled.

"What's wrong?" Corinne asked the raven haired girl.

Joana blinked "Nothing. We'd better get back to work."

Corinne looked at the others who shrugged, but they did as requested. They had been working quietly for fifteen minutes when Corinne suddenly slammed her hand against the wall "No! What am I doing!?"

The other four girls spun around in shock.

"What just happened?" Renee asked slowly.

Corinne turned to her friends "Why am I going on a balloon ride with him?"

"Because he asked you too?" Viveca guessed.

Corinne sighed, slapping her forehead "He's as good as engaged! He doesn't need to be hanging around with the likes of me!"

"Corinne." Renee said, crossing her arms "You have saved his life SO many times, I've lost count."

"We." Corinne corrected.

"Whatever." Renee waved her off "No one's going to mind his 'personal bodyguard' hanging around him 24/7."

"Renee," Corinne said quietly "His, probably, future bride is coming in two months. He needs to spend his time preparing for her. not wasting his time on me."

About that time, the clock struck noon "I have to go." She handed her broom to Joana "I have a long conversation ahead of me." Then she left.

Joana looked at the broom in her hand and sighed "IS it always this complicated?"

Aramina groaned "I hate tragic romances!"


	4. Robber Territory

**Corinne walked out **to where the balloon and the king were waiting.

Louis held his hand down to her "Glad you could make it."

Corinne grabbed his hand and was pulled up into the balloon "Your Majesty," she said as soon as she had regained her balance, also getting a curious look from the king "We need to talk."

Louis nodded as he released the balloon from the ground "Obviously. You haven't called me Your Majesty in two years."

"Well…" Corinne leaned against the side of the basket "There's a problem."

Louis' looked over at her seriously confused "What's wrong?"

"We overheard your conversation with Jameston." Corinne answered "I know about the Princess of Trylvania."

Louis groaned "Corinne, listen to me. I'm not marrying Princess Josephina."

"How do you know?"

"Because, I can make my own decisions." Louis hadn't moved from where he had been standing since the ride started "I can choose if I marry or not."

"Well, you may actually life Princess Josephina." Corinne pointed out.

"I may." Louis agreed "But I can promise you this. I won't fall in love with her."

"How do you know?"

He didn't answer. He just smiled at her, and then continued his chore of steering the hot air balloon.

Corinne shook her head, then turned around so she could see the sights below.

Something odd caught her attention. There was a golden carriage driving through the woods on an old dirt path. Apparently, they had gotten sidetracked from the ship docks.

"Louis." Corinne said "We have to start landing this thing right now, right here."

"Why?" Louis asked, but starting to do as instructed.

"Someone of means is traveling through robber territory." Corinne answered, pointing to the carriage "Get as close to the trees as you can, then try to go get my friends."

Louis glanced at her uncertain, but he didn't question her command. When they were six feet over the tree tops, Corinne jumped over the side of the balloon's basket, and when one came into reach, she grabbed a tree branch. She waved at Louis so he knew she was okay, then he raised the balloon back into the air and steered it back towards the castle.

Corinne jumped from tree to tree following the carriage, being sure to keep a close eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Then she saw it, a group of three guys crouched behind a bush, watching as the carriage rolled toward them.

One of them jumped out, a sword in hand, and shouted for the carriage to stop, which it immediately did. He was tall and broad, with scraggly brown hair.

"Get out of the carriage." The man growled as his two partners joined him..

Corinne watched as a woman in a shiny yellow dress with a golden crown stepped out. Followed by a man in a burgundy suit, also wearing a crown. And a young man with chocolate brown hair in faded work clothes followed.

"Give us your money." The man demanded "Or suffer the price."

Corinne jumped from her position in the tree and landed on top of the carriage.

"Is this how you always greet those that are passing through?" she asked.

The two royals and the boy looked up at her surprised.

The robber stared at her "Who are you and where did you come from?"

"I dropped from the sky." Corinne answered "And, I'm your worst nightmare."

The leader laughed as he motioned his two buddies to draw their weapons. One a sword, the other a bow and arrow. The one with the bow, pulled out an arrow and aimed it at her "Does this scare you little girl?"

Corinne placed her hands on her hips, her right hand just centimeters from where her sword was hidden "No."

The man shot, and quick as lightning, Corinne pulled out her sword and held it straight in front of her.

The arrow hit the sharp blade, that sliced straight down the wooden rod, splitting the arrow in two. The pieces flew by on either side of the blonde's head and on past.

"Y… You're an armed girl?" The archer stammered.

The leader of the clan pointed to her "I know who you are! You're Corinne, from Gascony. You're one of the musketeers."

Corinne flipped off the top of the carriage and landed five feet in front of the robbers "I am. What are you going to do about it?"

The two with swords lunged at her, but in a matter of a few seconds, their swords were gone.

The leader of the gang just sneered "You have us beat." He said.

Corinne eyed him closely. She knew he was up to something.

"Look out!" the young man shouted.

Corinne instantly spun around, knocking swords out of three other guys' hands.

Then she saw them. A group of ten more robbers walking towards her.

"_Oh great."_ She thought _"This is not good."_

The young man grabbed tossed one of the swords to Corinne and picked up the other two and stood behind her.

"I take it you're really good with swords." He said, watching the men slowly advance.

Corinne chuckled wryly "I'd better be." She glanced back at him "What's your name?"

"Conrad."

She nodded, whishing her friends were there.

"So…" Conrad said "I take the ones on the left, you take the ones on the right?"

Corinne huffed "I reckon." Then the fight was on.

The two royals had jumped back into the carriage, along with the driver, and the sixteen robbers, a weapon in both hands advanced towards them.

**Louis made it **back to the castle and ran at top speed to where the girls were talking.

"Corinne needs help!" He shouted as soon as he saw them.

"What happened?" Renee asked "And why is she not with you?"

"She jumped out of the balloon." Louis said, immediately wishing he's worded it different.

"What!?" the four girls exclaimed.

"We saw a carriage riding through the eastern woods." Louis said "Corinne left the balloon to try to hold off any robbers until I could get back here and find y'all!"

"Let's go!" Viveca said "She probably needs help right now!"

The other two musketeers nodded and they ran out the door.

Joana stepped up next to Louis and watched as the girls leapt onto their horses and sped away "What do we do?" she asked.

Louis sighed "The only thing to do. Wait."

Joana was quiet for a moment before she looked up at the king "Are you in love with Corinne?"

Louis glanced down at her and shrugged "It doesn't really matter." He answers "What matters is if the other person feels the same way. And if she'll admit it." He turned to the girl to say something but froze. Then his eyes grew wide and he stepped back in shock.


	5. The Weirdest Thing

**Corinne and Conrad **were standing back to back, their weapons had been thrown.

"Any plans?" Conrad asked.

Corinne shook her head "I wish."

The leader of the robbers lifted his sword "Oh, thou brave and noble musketeer." Then he swung his sword towards her. When the sword was a mere quartet of an inch away from her, a purple ribbon wrapped around it and yanked it from the man's hands.

"I'm sorry." Viveca said as she grabbed the sword "But that's my friend you were about to mince."

"Thank you for the description." Corinne said, relief flooding through her.

The three other musketeers attacked the group of men and tossed the weapons they got to Corinne and Conrad.

Twenty minutes later, the group was retreating.

Conrad laughed "I never thought girls could fight like that."

Corinne shrugged "We are musketeers."

"And that is outrageous!" The well-dressed lady said, stepping from the carriage "Girls shouldn't be fighting and doing a man's job!"

The four musketeers looked at the woman in disbelief. Was she complaining because they'd just saved her life?

"Conrad! Get in here." The woman said while she pushed the driver out "We must be going." She looked at the four girls "Do you know the way to the castle?"

Corinne clamped a hand over Renee's mouth before she could do her you're-an-ungrateful-person-and-I-don't-want-to-deal-with-you 'Duh'.

"Yes Ma'am." Viveca said "We do."

"Then lead the way."

Corinne sat sidesaddle behind Aramina on the ride back. They were listening to the constant complaining of the woman behind them. She complained about everything, from "This carriage is so bumpy!" to "How dare those hooligans try to rob me!"

Renee groaned as the woman went on and on "Is it bad to wish we hadn't rescued her?"

Corinne laughed "I don't know. But I'm agreeing with you."

Two long hours later, they rode up to the palace.

"Well finally!" the woman said "Conrad. Help me out!" the boy instantly jumped from the carriage and assisted the woman out "Yes, Your Majesty."

Corinne slid off the back of Aramina's mare "Majesty?"

"Yes." The man said, stepping to the ground "We are the king and queen of Trylvania!"

The four girls gasped, and Corinne looked down at her shoes "I thought you weren't due here for two months."

"There was an unexpected change of plans." The queen responded, then went stomping up the steps "Conrad, take care of the horses."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"How do you deal with her?" Renee hissed

Conrad shrugged "We all have our reasons."

"Come on." Corinne said "Louis isn't expecting that hurricane."

When the girls entered the castle, they saw Louis leaning against the wall, talking to the King and Queen.

"Helene!" he called "Can you please take our visitors to a spare bedroom."

"Yes Your Highness." Helene bowed, and then led them up the stairs. As soon as they were out of sight, Louis reached into a room that was nearby and pulled Joana out of it. He ran her across the foyer and pushed her into another room.

Corinne looked at her friends confused. What was going on?

Just then, the king and queen of Trylvania appeared.

"King Louis." The queen said "We would like a tour."

"A tour?" Louis said nervously "Of course."

"Let's start with this room." The queen pointed to the room that Louis had just pushed Joana into.

"Of course." Louis nodded "But please, let Helene get you some refreshments." He didn't even seem to notice the four girls standing inside the door.

As soon as the visitors turned their backs on him to tell Helene their orders, Louis yanked Joana out of that room and swung her into another.

"Now," the queen said "About that tour."

Louis led them into the indicated room, and Joana came sneaking out of the other, tiptoeing towards the stairs.

"What's going on?" Corinne asked Joana.

She opened her mouth, but the voice of the queen was heard walking towards the door. So the girl quickly retreated back into the room.

The four musketeers just watched. Not sure what to make of what had happened.

"Now that room!" the queen said, indicating the room that Joana was now hiding in.

Louis nodded and led the way. The girls watched as Joana jumped behind the door.

When the king and queen were inside the room, Louis pulled Joana from behind the door and pushed her out into the foyer. Before she even had a chance to move, Louis came running back out and pushed her behind yet another door.

"How about I show you Treville's training ground?" Louis suggested, now slightly breathless from his endless running.

"Of course." The queen nodded and went the way Louis showed her. when they were out the door, Louis doubled back, grabbed Joana from her hiding place and pushed her towards the stairs "Second door on the right." He whispered, and then ran to catch up to the royals before they noticed his absence.

"What's going on?" Renee asked, but Joana was already up the running up the stairs at full speed.

Corinne looked at her three friends and shrugged.

"That was the strangest thing I've ever seen in my life." Renee commented.

"Agreed." Corinne nodded "I wonder what all that was about."

"Who knows."

Louis led the royals from Trylvania back into the palace "Anything else you would like to see or know?"

"Yes." The queen said "Did our daughter show up here?"

Helene entered the room "She just showed up, about two minutes ago."

The four musketeers looked at the door that was behind them. They knew no one had come in.

"I showed her to a room upstairs." Helene continued.

The four girls looked at the stairs. They definitely hadn't seen Helene lead a princess up. They looked at each other and shrugged. This was getting weirder.

"Mama! Father!" A voice called from the stairs.

The girls looked up and gasped. Joana came, daintily, running down the stairs wearing a long, elegant, ruby red dress. Her hair was twisted up into a perfect bun, and on her head was a golden tiara.

"Josephina Alexandra Juliana Saraphina Tatiana of Trylvania, what on earth were you thinking!?" The queen screamed.

Renee looked at her friends with raised eyebrows "Boy am I glad I'm not a princess."

"I'm sorry." Princess Josephina said "I should not have run away."

"No you shouldn't have!" The queen exclaimed "Do you have any idea how worried we were!?" she started walking from the room, so Josephina followed, knowing it was expected. As she passed Louis she smiled and mouthed "Thank you."

Louis nodded and patted her on the shoulder "Good luck."

Then the princess ran to catch up with her parents.

Corinne looked at Louis confused "What was that all about?"

"Nothing." Louis answered, not hardly giving her a glance "We had a long talk while you were gone."

Just then, Conrad came in the door, toting suitcases.

Louis took one looked at him and smiled "You must be Conrad.".

Conrad nodded and sat down the cases "I am."

Louis picked up some of the luggage "Follow me." Then the two guys walked off, chatting companionably.

"Okay." Renee said "That is the second weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life."

Corinne was staring at the stairs that Louis and Conrad had taken "He… did he…?"

"He completely ignored you!" Aramina burst "He didn't even look at you!"

Corinne sighed "Well. I guess he found his princess." Then she ran out the door.


	6. Louis' Princess

**Louis and the **Trylvanians were talking in the parlor after dinner. Renee, Viveca, and Aramina were standing against the wall, watching and listening.

"So, shall we arrange the wedding?" Queen Geraldine asked.

Louis looked over at Josephina and smiled "No."

"What!?"

"I can't marry your daughter."

"Why ever not?" the king asked.

"Because, it wouldn't be right." Louis answered "She's in love with someone else. And quite frankly, so am I."

"Love has nothing to do with it!" The queen exclaimed "It's about title! And your status."

"Running a kingdom is about having someone you can trust." Louis said "You need someone that you know will stick with you through everything, and not turn and run when they decide that the problem isn't theirs anymore."

Josephina stood up and walked to her parents "Mother. Father. I want to marry Conrad."

Conrad's mouth fell open "Y…you do?"

Louis smiled at the stable hand "I told you."

"The stable hand!?" Geraldine cried "Honey! Seriously!"

"Well…"Josephina looked over at Louis for help.

"This is as ridiculous as having female musketeers!" the woman growled.

"Watch it." Louis warned "There are three of them standing in this room. And the other one happens to be very special to me."

The three musketeers giggled quietly.

The queen stood to her feet "Come Gerald. Come Josephina. We are leaving!" then she stormed from the room, her husband right behind her.

"Thank you." Josephina said.

Louis nodded "It's my pleasure." Then teasingly he added "If you ever need a quick wedding, you know where to find me."

Conrad laughed "I'll keep you in mind."

The princess walked over to the other girls and hugged each of them "You all are the best friends I've ever had. Maybe someday we'll meet again."

"You can count on it." Renee said "If you want to see Corinne, she's probably in the stables."

"Thanks." With a final goodbye to Louis, she left the castle.

**Corinne was running **Wind Dancer, her white mare's nose "How did things get so complicated?" she asked the horse "Why didn't I just distance myself from the beginning?"

"Because you didn't know how." Josephina said, stepping up behind her.

Corinne sighed "I'm happy for you."

"Me too." The princess looked at her blond friend "You know Corinne, when I first came here, I had no idea what true love was."

Corinne could feel her heart constricting like someone has tied it up and was squeezing every ounce of life out of it.

"I didn't realize that love looked me in the face every day." Josephina put a hand on Corinne's shoulder "When I saw you and Louis together, I realized that Conrad looked at me, the same way Louis looks at you."

Corinne looked at her confused "You mean you're…"

"No. I'm not marrying Louis." Josephina answered the unfinished question "It'll take time and patience. But I intend to marry Conrad."

Corinne smiled, the relief written all over her face "Well, I wish you luck."

"Thanks."

The two girls hugged, then the princess joined her family in the carriage and they drove away.

Louis stepped up behind Corinne, who was now standing on the castle steps watching the carriage disappear into the distance.

"Well, I'd say that was a job well done." He said.

Corinne nodded "Until next time."

"Corinne," Louis turned her to face him, while the other three girls slipped away "No matter how many Duchesses, Ladies, or Princesses Jameston brings in here, none of them will ever be for me."

"How do you know?" she asked, not quite meeting his gaze.

Louis reached out and pushed some blond hair that breeze had pulled loose away from her face "Because, I already have my princess."

He held his hand out to her, and together they ran to where Louis had left his balloon, surprisingly upright, climbed in and sailed up into the sky.

The three musketeers watched as their friend and the king sailed high above their heads.

Aramina sighed "I love a happy ending."

THE END


End file.
